Cruz Campaign Press Release - Cruz Welcomes Initial Religious Liberty Recommendations from Advisory Council

HOUSTON, Texas - Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz today received initial recommendations from his Religious Liberty Advisory Council, formed last month to advise his campaign and future administration on policies to defend religious liberty domestically and internationally.

"During this Holy Week, as Christians prepare to celebrate spiritual freedom in Christ, we remember also that religious liberty is the first American freedom," said Cruz. "I thank this learned and committed group of leaders for their wise recommendations, and as president I will be proud to work with them to protect our religious liberty. Defending religious liberty has been a lifelong passion, and I've been blessed to help win national victories, preserving the Texas Ten Commandments monument, the words 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial."

The recommendations comprise 15 initial actions, both legislative and executive, to emphasize and bolster the freedom of religion in the United States. Included are the following proposals:

• Issue an executive order preventing the federal government from discriminating against Americans who believe that marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman.
• Reinstate thorough and protective conscience rights protections in federal healthcare programs.
• Direct the Department of Health and Human Services to exempt all employers who object for moral and religious reasons from any contraception mandate.
• Update and revise military regulations to reflect a robust constitutional understanding of the first amendment rights of military personnel, particularly chaplains.
• Pass the First Amendment Defense Act "to prevent discriminatory treatment of any person on the basis of views held with respect to marriage."
• Direct the IRS to publicly clarify the generous rights of non-profits and religious leaders to engage in political speech without compromising their tax-exempt status.
• Rescind executive orders which limit the government from partnering with faith-based non-profit organizations.
• Order the Department of Education to issue guidelines which accurately address the rights of students, teachers, and other school personnel to live out their faith in a school setting.

"Our constitutional liberties should not be subject to the whims of the current administration," Cruz continued. "Whether Hobby Lobby or the Little Sisters of the Poor, people of faith should not be made to bow down at the altar of political correctness. As president, I have pledged on my first day in office to rescind every single one of President Obama's unconstitutional executive actions, and to direct every federal agency to respect and protect the religious liberty of every American."

Yesterday, oral arguments were presented before the Supreme Court in the religious liberty case Zubik vs. Burwell, which includes the appeals of Little Sisters of the Poor and Priests for Life for their right to serve the needy without suffering conscience violations from government. As Cruz has often said, "Mr. President, if you're litigating against nuns, you're probably doing something wrong."

More than 46,000 Americans have joined the campaign's Faith and Religious Liberty coalition.